Will SAIC shake up the pickup truck market in Malaysia with this new brand?
So we all know that China has been on a roll as of late. The country has been churning out cars left, right and centre, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrids, sedans, SUVs, you name it. Sadly the pickup truck market in Malaysia is still rather boring but SAIC Maxus may just have something to change that.
Chinese automaker, SAIC Maxus has announced its new high-end pickup truck brand called Interstellar which will officially launch on 3 July 2023. Subsequently, Interstellar will launch a mass-production version of its GST concept pickup truck in 2024, and then another high-end pure electric pickup truck.
Moreover, in 2022, SAIC Maxus sold more than 191,000 vehicles in China and 220,000 vehicles overseas, which also included pickup trucks and light trucks. After launching a dozen new models covering SUVs, MPVs, RVs, and pickups. Now, the brand is looking to further expand into the pickup truck market segment.
Earlier this year at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC Maxus unveiled its four-seater GST concept pickup truck which will be powered by semi-solid-state batteries, allowing it up to 1,000km cruising range. It will come with four independent motors making a combined power of 1,000hp as well.
On top of that, this SAIC Maxus pickup truck also features an interior that looks futuristic with a long rectangular screen starting from the driver to the passenger side as well as a flat-bottom steering wheel, making it super stylish both inside and out. This may indicate a high price tag as well but we shall have to wait and see about that.
Earlier this month, SAIC Maxus also declared a new pickup truck brand called Interstellar on the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) website and based on the declared images, there will be three models in the brand’s lineup, namely the Interstellar L, Interstellar H, and Interstellar R.
What’s more, SAIC Maxus recently filed a patent application with the China National Intellectual Property Administration for a new pickup truck. It was speculated that this patent may be related to Interstellar. If this brand comes to Malaysia, the Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton and Ford Ranger especially are in deep trouble.
The patent images also displayed the interior, which is similar to the GST concept pickup truck. The overall length of the Interstellar pickup is 5,365mm or 5,680mm while the wheelbase is either 3,155mm or 3,470mm and measures 1,792mm or 1,809mm in height with a width of either 1,900mm or 1,960mm.
So what do you guys think about this new Interstellar brand from SAIC Maxus? Would you like to see it in Malaysia? I would. We got all this from CarNewsChina and their full article is linked here. Thank you CarNewsChina for the information and images.
